the wavehttp://www.ekklesia.co.uk/taxonomy/term/7387/all
enPut world's poorest first in climate debate says Archbishophttp://www.ekklesia.co.uk/node/10761
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<p>It is vital that the needs of the world’s poorest and most disadvantaged are at the centre of the debate about climate change, the Archbishop of Westminster said at the ecumenical service before The Wave in London today</p>
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<p>It is vital that the needs of the world’s poorest and most disadvantaged are at the centre of the debate about climate change, Vincent Nichols, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Westminster, told Christians at 'Time to Pray', an ecumenical service about the environment and climate change held in London today (5 December). </p>
<p>Rowan Williams, Archbishop of Canterbury, David Gamble, President of the Methodist Conference and Steve Clifford, Director of the Evangelical Alliance were amongst other Christian leaders speaking at the service. </p>
<p>The service took place at Westminster Central Hall, prior to ‘The Wave’, a march in central London designed to highlight climate change issues prior to the Copenhagen inter-governmental climate summit.</p>
<p>Archbishop Nichols urged people to consider their own lifestyles when thinking about climate change, and urged that people live more simple lives, not dominated by the demands of the “consumer society”.</p>
<p>“Pope Benedict XVI in his statement to the UN Climate Change Initiative in September this year” said Archbishop Nichols, “made clear that since the natural environment is given by God to everyone, so our use of it 'entails a personal responsibility towards humanity as a whole, particularly towards the poor and towards future generations’. </p>
<p>“This is why we are right to repeat again and again the straightforward appeal: ‘Live simply!’; ‘Live simply so that others may simply live and so that our planet may be cared for and not exploited. Of course we sense within us never-ending demands, often provoked by the culture of our consumer society. </p>
<p>"But we must look hard at the way we live our lives and consider again those whose future is threatened by the effects of our own lifestyles. Only when we are clearly prepared to change the way we live will politicians be able to achieve the change we say we want to see.”</p>
<p>Archbishop Nichols also said that the development of technology would play an important role in resolving environmental problems.</p>
<p>“Technological advance is a crucial part of the way we will find solutions to the problems caused by climate change. Technology, of course, is not morally neutral. Rather its proper use is guided always by its effect on the common good. So today let us say, let the genius of our finest minds serve the needs of all, and the needs of our environment.</p>
<p>“Our voices today are not filled with anxiety or gloom, but with hope. This is because we know the source of true, enduring hope" he continued. </p>
<p>"Our most radical hope lies in the truth of the promised final completion, the final resurrection of all created beings, transformed into the reality of that wonderful vision of ‘a new heaven and a new earth.</p>
<p>“This is the hope that inspires us to insist that our world is not our own, not at our disposal, not for us to do with just what we like. Indeed, at the centre of our world stands the human person, every single one made in the image and likeness of God and deserving, for that reason alone, respect, freedom and cooperation.”</p>
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<!-- google_ad_section_end -->Ecology and EnvironmentNews Briefclimate changethe waveUK Newsvincent nicholsSat, 05 Dec 2009 14:49:45 +0000staff writers10761 at http://www.ekklesia.co.uk3,000 gather for service to start The Wavehttp://www.ekklesia.co.uk/node/10759
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<p>More than 20 senior church leaders have gathered for a church service with more than 3,000 other Christians to support the London Wave, urging an ambitious, fair and effective deal at the Copenhagen Summit on climate change.</p>
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<p>More than 20 senior church leaders have gathered for a church service with more than 3,000 other Christians to support the London Wave, urging an ambitious, fair and effective deal at the Copenhagen Summit on climate change. </p>
<p>Joined by the Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams and Archbishop Vincent Nichols, head of the Catholic Church in England and Wales, Steve Clifford, General Director of the Evangelical Alliance, led the congregation through the service and its prayer intercessions for people and planet. David Gamble, President of the Methodist Conference, led an act of repentance.</p>
<p>One of the 3,000 Christians attending the event was Nicki Smith from Huddersfield who has spent the past month walking to the Wave, a journey of 250 miles. She wanted to draw attention to the climate change issue, and the report ‘Hope for God's Future’ produced by her Methodist Church. “I have visited an interesting A Rocha wildlife project, spoke[n] to several youth clubs, and just raised awareness with ordinary people I met along the way,” she said. Nicki arrived at the service with her hair dyed blue, the colour of the Wave day of action. </p>
<p>Tearfund worker Richard Avery cycled from his Greasby home, a journey of 200 miles. “I visited Bangladesh with Tearfund five years ago and I was struck by how the changing climate is already impacting people there,” he said. “I met people living right on the water’s edge who are so vulnerable to the extreme weather and sea level rises.” </p>
<p>Bishop Lee Rayfield, the Anglican Bishop of Swindon also arrived on a bike, having cycled from Newbury to raise awareness of the need to reduce carbon emissions. “Our Government needs to appreciate how concerned ordinary people are about the impact of climate change on our planet” he said. “They need to hear our voice urging them to take the tough decisions in Copenhagen and I hope and pray that this cycle ride will amplify that voice.”</p>
<p>During the service, Christine Elliot, Secretary for External Relationships of the Methodist Church, interviewed partners of the Christian development agencies from the global south. Umme Kulsum, from CAFOD partner Prodipan in Bangladesh, spoke movingly about the impact of climate change on her country. “People are raising their houses, strengthening roofs, but sometimes they think that their effort in adapting is like using a single straw to stop the tide. The problem is big. They are trying to increase their resilience, but they also call for reducing or stopping use of greenhouse gasses, to hold the pace of climate change.” </p>
<p>Philippe Ouedraogo, who runs a Tearfund church-based partner agency in Burkina Faso called on Christians around the world to pray and to change their own lifestyles in order to combat the effects of climate change.</p>
<p>Daleep Mukarji, Director of Christian Aid said: “This service is an important part of today's action. Climate change is already having a devastating impact on the world's poor which is why Christians are increasingly speaking out. The poor - who have done the least to cause it - are suffering the most from climate change. Hence as Christians we are calling for a binding deal at Copenhagen that has the concerns and hopes of the world's poor and vulnerable at its heart.”</p>
<p>Messages of support to the Wave were received from church leaders internationally. Ecumenical Patriarch Batholomew I of Constantinople, spiritual leader of the world’s 300 million Orthodox Christians, said: “We fervently pray for the best possible international agreement during the UN Conference on Climate Change, so that all industrialised countries may undertake a generous commitment to reduce polluting greenhouse gas emissions by 40 per cent (of 1990) by 2020 and provide crucial financial support to developing nations.”</p>
<p>The Anglican Archbishop of Burundi, Bernard Ntahoturi, called for the bishops in the North and South to do joint advocacy work. “Most of the consequences of climate change in the South are the result of over-development and over-consumption in the western world. We need to ask the West together to slow down their consumption and this is not something that Africa, or even Asia, can do alone” he said. </p>
<p>In her message, Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori of The Episcopal Church of the US said: “The crisis of climate change presents an unprecedented challenge to the goodness, interconnectedness, and sanctity of the world God created and loves.” She felt the faith community “has a sacred responsibility to stand on the side of truth, the truth of science as well as the truth of God's unquenchable love for the world and all its inhabitants.”</p>
<p>After the service, many of the church leaders went on the join the UK’s biggest ever march in support of action on climate change, standing with a banner reading, ‘Churches say ‘ACT NOW ON CLIMATE CHANGE’. One of them was Colonel Brian Peddle, Chief Secretary for The Salvation Army UK and Republic of Ireland. He said: “The Salvation Army is privileged to join our voice with thousands of others, to call for action which will make a real difference to the lives of our entire global community now and in the future.” </p>
<p>The church leaders stood alongside children with their faces and hands painted blue and an array of banners from parishes, dioceses and justice and peace groups, which contributed towards the encircling of the Houses of Parliament during the afternoon. Afterwards, church agencies joined others meeting with Ed Miliband, Secretary of State for energy and Climate Change, to emphasise again the need for urgent action in Copenhagen next week.</p>
<p>The Wave ecumenical service was organised by A Rocha, CAFOD, Christian Aid, Christian Concern for One World, Christian Ecology Link, Columban JPIC, MRDF, Operation Noah, Progressio, SPEAK and Tearfund. It was part of The Wave events on 5 December organised by the Stop Climate Chaos Coalition.</p>
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<!-- google_ad_section_end -->Ecology and EnvironmentNews Briefclimate changethe waveUK NewsSat, 05 Dec 2009 13:37:30 +0000agency reporter10759 at http://www.ekklesia.co.ukChurch leaders to ride The Wavehttp://www.ekklesia.co.uk/node/10733
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<p>Church leaders will join mass protests in London and Glasgow this weekend, which aim to put pressure on governments on climate change at the impending UN talks in Copenhagen.</p>
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<p>Church leaders will join mass protests in London and Glasgow this weekend, which aim to put pressure on governments over climate change at the impending UN talks in Copenhagen. </p>
<p>Almost 20 senior church leaders are joining 'The Wave' on Saturday to call for an “ambitious, fair and effective deal."</p>
<p>The Archbishop of Canterbury and Archbishop Vincent Nichols, head of the Catholic Church in England and Wales, will attend The Wave in London. </p>
<p>The Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland, the leader of the Roman Catholic Church in Scotland and the Primus of the Scottish Episcopal Church will take part in Scotland.</p>
<p>“The weekend’s events should send a clear message of urgency and hope to the Copenhagen Summit” said Rowan Williams. </p>
<p>“This is a very important moment for us all in trying to keep everyone’s eyes open to the serious environmental challenges we face. The world’s leaders need to hear from the world’s people about their desire for a safe, sustainable environment in which God’s care for all he has made is honoured by us. This weekend’s events should send a clear message of urgency and hope to the Copenhagen Summit.”</p>
<p>16 senior leaders of Christian Churches in the UK will attend an ecumenical service in London on 5 December. At least 3,000 Christians are expected to join them, carrying an array of colourful banners and dressed in blue. </p>
<p>They will be travelling from their parishes around the country in special trains and coaches. </p>
<p>After the service, some church leaders and the congregation will join tens of thousands of people marching to form a blue wave around the Houses of Parliament. Churches on the march will be a key part of the growing movement for action on climate change. </p>
<p>It is expected to be the UK’s biggest ever demonstration in support of action on climate change, ahead of the crucial UN climate talks in Copenhagen. </p>
<p>Thousands of people will also descend on Scotland’s biggest city. A 'family-friendly' march will finish with in a mass rally with music, entertainment and speeches in Kelvingrove Park. </p>
<p>Right Reverend Bill Hewitt, Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland, Cardinal Keith O’Brien, leader of the Roman Catholic Church in Scotland, and Most Reverend David Chillingworth, Primus of the Scottish Episcopal Church, will take part in a joint ecumenical church service before the rally.</p>
<p>Right Reverend Bill Hewitt, Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland, said: “We need to be sure that the negotiators gathered in Copenhagen are aware of our support and our belief in the importance of their task.”</p>
<p>Cardinal Keith O’Brien, leader of the Roman Catholic Church in Scotland, added: “People from all faiths and none will suffer the effects of catastrophic climate change if world leaders fail to deal with the problem. </p>
<p>”The leaders of the industrialised nations meeting in Copenhagen next week must deliver a legally binding agreement to tackle climate change urgently. “ </p>
<p>Next Sunday (13th December), churches across the world will ring their bells 350 times to highlight the importance of the international summit. </p>
<p>The ringing will begin at the high-profile ecumenical service at the Lutheran Cathedral in Copenhagen, and it is hoped that Christians around the world will echo them by sounding their own bells, shells, drums, gongs or horns.</p>
<p>They are ringing 350 times, because this refers to 350 parts per million (ppm) – the safe upper limit for carbon dioxide in our atmosphere, according to scientists, climate experts and government figures.</p>
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<!-- google_ad_section_end -->Ecology and EnvironmentNews Briefcopenhagen summitthe waveUK NewsThu, 03 Dec 2009 14:24:56 +0000staff writers10733 at http://www.ekklesia.co.ukCatholics turn blue over climate changehttp://www.ekklesia.co.uk/node/10655
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<p>Campaigners were yesterday so annoyed with world leaders' lack of action on climate change, they went blue in the face.</p>
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<p>Campaigners were yesterday so annoyed with world leaders' lack of action on climate change, they went blue in the face.</p>
<p>The campaigners from the Catholic aid agency CAFOD joined commuters outside Parliament to raise awareness of The Wave march which takes place on December 5. </p>
<p>The protest in London, which has a blue theme, aims to put pressure on governments to agree a fair and binding deal on climate change at UN talks in December. </p>
<p>CAFOD's head of campaigns Kevin McCullough said: "Climate change is everyone's problem but it's going to make life in the poorest countries worst first. We certainly don't want to have the blues about climate change come the New Year so we're marching on December 5 through London to show our support for a fair and strong deal on climate change in Copenhagen.</p>
<p>"We hope people from all over the UK will come and join us and get in the spirit of The Wave march by wearing something blue or painting their face or hands. This really is a turning point for the world and joining the march will mean people can have a hand in history."</p>
<p>The Wave, which is being organised by the Stop Climate Chaos coalition, promises to be the UK's biggest-ever demonstration in support of international environmental action to combat climate change.<br />
Before the march there will be an ecumenical service including the Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams and the Catholic Archbishop of Westminster, Vincent Nichols. </p>
<p>Free Church and other faith representatives, who have been lobbying hard for action against global warming, will also be involved. </p>
<p>Participants will be encouraged to dress in blue to "flood the streets of London and encircle Parliament to press home the need for the Britain to do all it can to seal a just deal in Copenhagen," say organisers - who are stressing the peaceful and friendly nature of the demo. </p>
<p>The Coalition wants the UK government to focus on three policy areas: ending Britain's reliance on dirty coal power and instead boosting the renewable energy supply to help build a green economy and create new jobs; providing resources to help the world’s poorest and most vulnerable people adapt to climate change and allow them to develop in a carbon friendly manner, and delivering a fair global deal in Copenhagen that will keep global warming under 2 degrees C.</p>
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<!-- google_ad_section_end -->Ecology and EnvironmentNews Briefcountdown to copenhagenthe waveUK NewsMon, 23 Nov 2009 10:03:13 +0000staff writers10655 at http://www.ekklesia.co.uk